• 1/10/2006
  • Tasmania, Australia
  • Linda Smith
  • The Mercury News (www.themercury.news.com.au)

A few months ago, Ron Fazackerley had a gaping hole under his chin as a result of tongue and mouth cancer.

But using a new microscope — which helps connect tiny blood vessels half a millimetre in diameter — doctors at the Royal Hobart Hospital were able to rebuild Mr Fazackerley’s face and give him a chance at a normal life.

Mr Fazackerley, who is now recovering well from surgery he underwent in November, was the first elective patient to be treated using the $152,000 machine.

The 57-year-old smoker was diagnosed with a large, inoperable tongue cancer in 1999 and although radiotherapy killed the cancer, complications led to part of his chin becoming dead and infected. A hole then formed in the bottom of his chin.

Using skin from his leg, part of his fibula bone and some chunks of his tissue, doctors rebuilt Mr Fazackerley’s face in a 10-hour operation, re-attaching the blood vessels and tissue using the delicate microscope.

Associate Prof Frank Kimble, who undertook the plastic microsurgery, said without such surgery a large section of Mr Fazackerley’s jawbone would have had to be cut out of his face leaving him severely deformed.

The machine is also used in trauma cases to repair small vessels and nerves which wouldn’t be able to be repaired with the naked eye and to move large blocks of tissue from one part of the body to another

Associate Prof Kimble said the microscope, which is used on about 20 patients a month, was far superior to the old one which often broke down during operations.

He said the old machine was controlled by foot pedals, which meant it was possible to bump the wrong buttons, and doctors sometimes had to call technicians to fix the machine during operations when it malfunctioned.

“It’s a long operation and you get tired — the last thing you want is be frustrated as well,” Associate Prof Kimble said.

He said the new machine had user-friendly hand operations, could be moved into almost any position and hooked up to a screen which could be used for teaching.

He said the Royal was the only Tasmanian hospital with such a machine but they could be found in most major teaching hospitals around the country.